A correct diagnosis is crucial to ensure successful management of a patient with ILD.27 Furthermore, an accurate diagnosis allows the physician to provide his or her patient with appropriate prognostic information, and develop a suitable management strategy with the patient and caregiver.29 This figure shows the average survival for patients with UIP or IPF, fibrotic NSIP, and cellular NSIP, with UIP having the poorest overall survival.30
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (an Update) and Progressive Pulmonary Fibrosis in Adults: An Official ATS/ERS/JRS/ALAT Clinical Practice Guideline
Reference
27. Raghu G, Brown KK. Interstitial lung disease: clinical evaluation and keys to an accurate diagnosis. Clin Chest Med. 2004;25:409-419.
29. Flaherty KR, King TE, Jr., Raghu G, et al. Idiopathic interstitial pneumonia: what is the effect of a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis? Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2004;170:904-910.
30. Travis WD, Matsui K, Moss J, Ferrans VJ. Idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia: prognostic significance of cellular and fibrosing patterns: survival comparison with usual interstitial pneumonia and desquamative interstitial pneumonia. Am J Surg Pathol. 2000;24:19-33.
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- Role of HRCT In Diagnosing Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)
- Narrowing The Differential Diagnosis